Face My Fate

Devil Incarnate

"Do you know these people?"

⋆ ───⊱☽❁☾⊰─── ⋆

𝐕 𝐄 𝐃 𝐀

❀

The night was still dark and cold. The silence was buzzing in my ears.

I shivered as a gust of cold wind passed through me.

My heart thumped as I stood outside Armani Estate. The storm in the sky had long stopped, but the storm within me was still weighing heavy. The gigantic gate of the manor only reminded me how much I didn't belong here.

I looked for a guard, but there was no one in sight. Of course, it was past midnight. I contemplated going back and visiting in the morning, but then I remembered the cost of each second that passed by.

I opened the small gate in between the huge ones. Just as I was about to enter, I heard a few masculine voices coming towards me. Panicking, I closed the door behind me and ran towards the manor.

This place was bigger than my imagination. You'd need a car to just get through the gate to the door. I ran, passing through the fountain and flower beds.

I felt like I was doing something illegal.

But I didn't have the luxury to care.

I was panting by the time I reached the door of the manor. My chest heaved as I kept a hand on my chest to calm my wild heartbeat. I pushed back the hair, sticking to my face, and rang the doorbell.

I pressed it again once no one answered the first time. Just as I was about to do it again, the door opened, revealing a man. He seemed to be in his late thirties, judging by the streaks of white hair in his hair and mustache.

He was wearing what I assumed was a butler's uniform. Oh gosh, these people had a butler.

He gave a judgmental look-over. My shoulders hunched under his stare. I felt self-conscious. I glanced at my outfit. I was still wearing a cotton top and pajamas. My night clothes.

My fists curled around the fabric of my top.

"Who let you in?" He scorned like I was some wild animal.

"I," I blinked, gathering my thoughts. "No one? There was no one at the gate, so..." I trailed off, letting the implication do the work. "But trust me, I mean no harm."

He inhaled sharply. "How may I help you?" He asked curtly after a good minute of silence.

What do I say now? I don't know anyone here.

"Um, I... Can I talk to... Mr. Armani?" I spoke hesitantly. I don't even know what I meant by Mr. Armani.

His gaze narrowed as his sharp eyes studied me. "Do you have an appointment? Even if you do, did it address the time being after midnight." He spoke with a calm edge.

I faltered, blinking. "No, but I just need to talk to him about something really important. I just need five minutes, please."

"No one's home. Go to his office tomorrow."

My eyes widened. "No, no, sir. Please try to understand. It's urgent."

"Did you not hear what I said? No one's home." He emphasized sharply.

"Can you... Can you call them or something? I really need to talk to him."

"And disturb him on his eldest son's engagement?" He c****d an eyebrow. "No, thank you very much. Would you like me to show you out, or can you do it yourself?"

"No, I—" My words got cut off as he slammed the door on my face, without hearing what I had to say.

I banged on the door. "Sir, please! Just listen to me! I just need five minutes to talk, please!" I begged and kept banging.

But it was of no use because no reply came.

I turned around, staring into oblivion. My feet moved on their own, carrying me down the stairs as I stepped into the open sky. I walked a distance, almost robotically, before thunder struck, followed by a downpour.

It didn't take long for me to crumble on the ground. A trail of sobs echoed around me, mixing with the sound of rain. It took me a while to realise I was their source.

I hid my face in my palms as I cried my heart out.

I don't know what it was. The pain, the fear of losing my sisters, the anxiety, or the helplessness I was feeling. All I knew was the desperate need to cry.

And so I did.

I don't know for how long.

The raindrops hit my body like rocks until they didn't. For a moment, I thought the rain had stopped. That was until I saw a pair of polished boots through my blurry vision.

I hiccuped as I looked up and saw a man towering over me, holding an umbrella over my head. I blinked, trying to clear my hazy vision. A click sound reached my ears.

My eyes ascended from his shoes slowly. The man was wearing an impeccably tailored blue suit, hugging his shoulders with clean lines and tapering elegantly at the waist.

My eyes fell on his face. He stood tall at 6'3". His pale skin seemed almost luminous under the light. The sharpness of his jawline amplified his commanding presence. He must be in his early twenties.

His golden eyes, almost siren-like, glanced down at me. They were guarded but not unkind. My eyes moved to see a black Porsche Panamera whose headlights were flickering the light over us.

My hand immediately lifted to cover my eyes as the sharp light suddenly reflected on my eyes. I hesitated before looking back at the man.

This time, the thing that stole the soul out of my body was the black metal object in his hand pointed right at me. My eyes widened twice their size as I fell back.

He had a g-gun!

I stared at him in horror.

"Who are you?" He demanded in a deep, guarded voice with a sharp edge to it.

My hands trembled as I tried to control my breathing. This man could kill me in a second, and no one would know. My eyes went back to gun in his hand, and as if like magnet, they stuck there.

"I asked you a question." The man repeated, stepping closer, moving his gun straight to my forehead.

My eyes squeezed shut as I braced myself for the upcoming bullet. I was so lost in the terror pointed at my forehead, I couldn't even process his question.

Was I really going to die without knowing what happened to my sisters?

"Who. Are. You?" He emphasized pressing the metal more firmly against my forehead.

A choked sound escaped my lips as a chill ran down my spine. "V-Veda." I managed to whisper through my trembling lips.

"Veda," He drawled slowly, deliberately. "What are you doing here?"

With all the courage I had in me, I opened my eyes, but they burned as soon as the light reflected in them. I tilted my head up and stared at him hesitantly, meeting his golden orbs.

His gaze was studying me sharply. But it wasn't condescending like that of the butler. It was almost curious and... intrigued?

Think, Veda. Think. You can't die like this. Think about Rayi and Riva.

My eyes discretely darted through the whole lawn as I searched for a potential exit. My hand trailed on the wet surface. His sharp gaze flickered to my hand but fortunately for me, my hand curled around a rock.

I threw the rock on his face and his eyes shut closed as he turned away. I stood on my feet with sheer difficulty but without wasting time, I ran towards the exit as fast as I could.

Footsteps echoed behind me, making my heart rate accelerate as did my body. The rain was making it impossible to continue, but I ran. And ran. And ran until I couldn't feel my legs anymore.

I dared to glance around, only to see him walking towards me with predatory steps, holding the umbrella leisurely over his head. The gun swirled in his hand like it was taunting me.

He was eating up the distance between us without even having to run.

I turned back, but I stumbled over my feet and fell on the ground, scraping my elbows and knees on the concrete. A sharp pain surged through my body as my ribs landed on a concrete rock.

"Well, that was quite a show." He muttered coolly as he hovered over me again, holding the umbrella above my head. His eyes glinted in amusement.

My eyes narrowed at him as my jaw clenched. My fists clenched as my nails dug crescent holes in my palms. This was all amusing for him. Of course.

Why wouldn't it be?

Since he was the predator and I was the prey.

I glanced at him sharply. I could swear I saw horns over his head as the lightning struck again, followed by a loud thunder. My eyes flickered to his gun and my mind projected it as pitchfork.

He looked nothing less than a devil in this moment.

"Devil incarnate." The words slipped my mouth before I could help myself.

"Excuse me?" Amusement flashed in his eyes as he crouched down to my level, still holding the umbrella above us. His face, otherwise, remained neutral.

I blinked rapidly and glanced away, avoiding his eye.

He stared at me for a good second before nodding. "I certainly am a devil incarnate, huh?" He mused with a slight smirk.

He pushed a wet strand of my hair out of my face and used the gun to lift my chin, forcing me to meet his eyes. My stomach tightened at the contact of the cold metal with my skin.

"If you're done with your little game," He murmured, as the amusement slowly vanished from his eyes, replaced by coldness. "Tell me what exactly were you doing here?" He commanded, emphasizing every word.

I gulped the lump in my throat as I searched for my voice. "I-I wanted to... meet Mr. A-Armani." I choked out.

"Why?" The question came without missing a beat.

I didn't want to answer his questions but the gun below my chin was forcing me to.

"I wanted to talk to him regarding something really important." I felt proud of myself to have been able to complete the sentence without stuttering or stammering.

"Don't be vague." He ordered gruffly, pushing the gun further, making me tilt my head back.

I held back a whimper. "My sisters," I breathed out. "They... They're missing. Their phone was last traced here."

His eyes searched mine for any sign of deception. He nodded, having found none. "Details." His next command came.

My jaw clenched as I glared at him. The pressure of the gun against my chin increased when I didn't answer. I took in a sharp inhale and spoke.

"Twins. Fourteen. They went missing ten days ago." My heart clenched as I thought about them.

"Ten days," he repeated. "And you're searching for them now?" He questioned, looking invested.

"We did file a complain. But the police are incompetent fools." I spat the last part in venom and bitterness. They put little to no effort in actually searching for them.

"What division?"

I bit my inner cheek. "Worida square." I mumbled.

He straight at me tor a good second, before withdrawing his gun back, giving me the space to breathe again. I took a deep inhale and exhaled. I clutched my throat to soothe the itchiness.

"I'll help you find them."

My head snapped towards him faster than the lightning stuck in the sky. I stared at him wide-eyed. No words came out of my mouth but the question echoed loud between us.

Why?

The side of his lips curled up again. "Luckily for you, you've got a new ASP for that division."

Lightning struck in the sky, illuminating its glow over us as we stared at each other.

I shivered as a gush of cold wind passed through us.

"H-How do I know that you're telling the truth?" I dared to ask, trying to put on a brave facade.

That was either really brave of me or completely stupid. This man had a gun and was muscled enough to crush me.

He poked his inner cheek. "Now, why would think that I'm lying?" He countered.

"Because we are strangers and you just had a gun pointed at me."

A corner of his lips tugged upwards in amusement. "Fair enough." He hummed in agreement. “But that's the charm.” He taunted. "You don't really have a choice but to believe me."

My lips pressed in a thin line as a surge of irritation passed through me. But I held myself in. I didn't have time to dwell on his stupid jabs. Not when my sisters were at stake.

But I couldn't help the trembling of my lower lip. Hell, my whole body was trembling. Tears stung in my eyes due to the exhaution and the scare of the past moment.

He blinked, looking taken aback. "What the...? Why are you crying?" He asked, perplexed.

"W-Will you r-really help me?" I asked in a shaky voice.

I know I'm acting stupid trusting a total stranger who just had his gun pointed at me. But I don't have much of a choice. I have to shoot the shot in the dark because it might just hit the dart... if not revolting back to myself.

I nodded, shivering as the rain stopped. My teeth clattered together as I felt the cold settling on my bones. The cold wind and my wet clothes weren't helping much.

He stared at me for a long moment, then nodded slowly. "Come inside first. You're shaking terribly." He spoke.

"Inside where?" I muttered stupidly.

"Inside the manor." He said plainly and pointed nonchalant finger towards the Armani mansion.

"You know these people?" I blinked in confusion.

"I certainly do."

"How?" The butler said the whole family was attending their son's engagement.

"My last name is Armani. The son of Mr. Armani." He revealed as the rain stopped, but the thunder struck.

"You're lying." The words escaped me before I could stop myself.

He poked his inner cheek. "Now, why would you think that I'm lying?" He countered.

"Because the butler said it was his son's engagement. Why would his son be here with me instead of his own engagement?" I reasoned, feeling slightly courageous.

A corner of his lips tugged upwards in amusement. "Fair enough." He hummed in agreement. “Did it ever cross your mind that he might have more than one son, Ms. Intellectual?” He taunted.

My eyes narrowed but I held myself in.

"Now, come inside, will you?"

I hesitated.

I have to get home before someone finds out I'm gone. I can only imagine the under it'll cause.

Besides, he was a stranger. 𝘐 was a stranger here. The stranger danger alarms were beeping in my head like crazy. But they were battling with the need to save my sisters before it's too late.

I don't know where this will lead me. But at least I'll know that I tried. I want to try with everything I have in myself.

"I don't bite." He 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘥, having sensed my dilemma. "Besides, I don't want a girl dying of hyperthermia on me." He added.

I let out a soft huff and nodded. I really couldn't tolerate the cold anymore.

He stood up and offered me a hand. My eyes fell on the rolex on his wrist. That alone set off all my caution bells. I'm no one to judge people off their status, but rich people can't be trusted.

I stood up on my own, ignoring his outstretched hand, forcing my knees to not wobble. His hand flexed as he pulled it back, poking his inner cheek, tilting his head slightly.

Without another word, he started walking away. But the silent command to follow him was loud and clear. My mind started racing, but another gust of wind was all it took to stop the gears from running in my head.

My eyes fell on our shadows. Even though I was walking way behind him, it still looked like I was walking right beside him with my hand in his.

My eyes narrowed as I moved towards the left, putting some distance between us shadows.

We're better with some distance between us.